Therianthropes

Overview
Official Name: Therianthropes Common name: Therians (Shapeshifters) Pronun.: theh-ree-uhns
Geography
Homeland:	The Fae Forest
Capital:	Rowan Caverns
Statistics
Currency:	Xanthai (ζ)
Calendar:	Xanth's Arrival (XT)
Languages:	Elysian, Sylvan
Population:	920,850 (mainland) 186,881 (Dardanos)
Physical
Lifespan:	80 years
Average Height:	5'10" / 1.78m (male) 5'8" / 1.73m (female)
Politics
Sentinel:	Drystan Black
Enemy:	Vampire
Ally:	Nymph
Patron:	Chenoan Cirocco
Skills & Powers
Skills:	Combat Divine Shield Form Morph
Weaknesses:	Metabolism

In 8,510 XA (510 AD), the first Hind appeared. This ominous monster was created by a fledgling Vampire named Conor Flynn who, like many Vampires, was turned against his will at the age of 26 in a small town in Ireland.

On the night of Conor's turning, he was chased from his home when he tried to attack another villager. He took shelter in a cave not too far from his town, where he happened upon a wolf giving birth to a litter of pups. Lost in a ravenous bloodlust, Conor attacked the helpless wolf.

The wolf had no chance to fight back and within moments she was at the brink of death. As the fury of the bloodlust drained from his body, Conor was immediately overcome by grief and shame. He attempted the same thing that his own killer had done, cutting his wrist with his new fangs and feeding the blood into the wolf's mouth in an effort to save her.

The effort did revive her, but not as Conor had intended. Like him, the wolf was overcome by bloodlust and immediately turned on him, feeding even as she continued to give birth.

Conor was not enough to quench her thirst and overpowering hunger. Leaving her newborn pups to fend for themselves, she moved out of the cave and set about devouring anything in her path, terrorising neighbouring villages for months before she was finally destroyed.

Her pups, raised by one of the villagers who had stumbled across their cave while searching for Conor, grew up to display intelligence and traits never before seen in wolves. It was not for several generations, however, that Conor's true legacy became known as the Vampires' Bloodlust virus spread throughout the animal kingdom, causing mutation after mutation.

All across the continent, animals were developing human intelligence and the ability to change their form. Driven out by prejudice and fear, these 'shapeshifters' segregated themselves from human civilisation, choosing to live free in the forests of Elysia.

To this day, many shapeshifters cling to their rural lifestyles, segregated from other Elysian races even though many of the prejudices of old have faded into memory. Many still live in the wild, alone or in small clusters, though some do choose to live in urban areas as humans.

Therian Government

The sheer variety of animals available to choose from means there's very little chance of any two Therians being the same. It's probably this level of choice and individuality that makes the species so unstructured, and Therians are certainly left to their own devices as long as they aren't breaking any city laws, but that doesn't mean they're completely without order.

Overall, Therians are led by the Sentinel (currently Drystan Black) who governs the species with a light hand from his offices at the heart of the Rowan Caverns. This man (or woman, though the majority of Sentinels in recent years have been male) literally wins the title by pitting himself against other Therians in the challenge arena and proving himself the stronger.

When Therians cluster together in the wild, they usually develop a hierarchy and look to the strongest member of their group for leadership. This person may not be physically stronger: Having human intelligence often negates the need for brute strength in favour of reasoning and logic, but leaders are usually physically capable nevertheless.

Living in civilised areas such as towns or cities usually forces the Therian to adhere to the rules and laws of that town, so a 'Shifter living among the other races is much less free than those living in the wild.

Despite having a loose government, the Sentinel has very little to do in terms of leadership and mostly acts as town mayor for the Caverns. All Therians are bound to recognise him as their leader, but most will never see him or be affected by his decisions and will instead defer to their own group leader or the laws of whatever town they call home.

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Skills & Powers

For an alphabetical list of powers for all species, check the Skills & Powers page here. Back to the Top